Snake Pops Up in the Bronx

Answering nature's call turned into a wild encounter for a Bronx man when he discovered a 3-foot yellow-and-white snake with bright red eyes perched on his toilet seat, authorities said Tuesday.

The man called 911 immediately reporting a "huge snake" in his bathroom late Monday night. Emergency services unit officers corralled the reptile and turned it over to the city's Animal Care and Control center in Harlem. It was to be evaluated there before making a trip to a snake sanctuary somewhere in the area, officials said.

ENLARGE

The Bronx corn snake, in its cage at Animal Care and Control.
Keith Bedford for The Wall Street Journal

While the incident evoked urban myths of reptiles slithering out of city toilets—not to mention alligators in sewers—it remains unclear how the nonvenomous corn snake made its way into the 19th-floor apartment in Soundview.

The breed is native to Florida and other Southeastern states; such snakes are popular as pets because of their docile nature.

One possibility is that it crawled up plumbing pipes and out of the toilet, a proposition that is unlikely and scary but "within the realm of possibility," according Jack Conrad, a herpetologist.

"Corn snakes are not particularly known for being fond of water, but all snakes are good swimmers," said Mr. Conrad, who co-curates an exhibit on snakes and lizards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. "Snakes can hold their breath for a long time, but you have to wonder how it entered the plumbing pipes to begin with. It's possible, but seems really tough."

Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said it is just as likely that the snake entered through a hole in the wall or a heating duct.

"Snakes are notorious for being escape artists who can fit their bodies in places that you would never think possible," Mr. Breheny said. "No one should ever keep a venomous snake because of cases like this."

Police didn't identify the man who discovered the snake, but said he was clearly shaken because he called 911 again two minutes after placing the first call.

The snake wasn't poisonous and not prone to aggression, but still may have been among a select class of serpent who chose toilets as their method of entry.

Published reports show that people in Australia, England and China have had run-ins with snakes that were found alive and coiled in their toilets. In one case, a Taiwanese man was bitten on his genitals while sitting on the commode.

In 2007, a Brooklyn woman found a 7-foot-long python with its head poking out of her toilet bowl inside her Cobble Hill apartment. A neighbor reached on Tuesday said the waste pipes in the building had to be removed in order to rescue the massive reptile.

The corn snake found in the Bronx bathroom was a female and appeared to be of a "mature age," said Richard Gentles, a spokesman for Animal Care and Control. He said the snake was likely a pet that either escaped or was discarded by its owner.

Corn snakes are known to be popular among hobbyists because they aren't dangerous and, through selective breeding, can "produce incredible mutations" with the color markings on their bodies, said Mr. Breheny, of the Bronx Zoo. They are also relatively inexpensive, selling for as little as $20 for a common skin pattern and up to $100 for a new or rare marking on its body.

"The snake is healthy and well cared for," said Mr. Gentles. Over the years Animal Care and Control has taken custody of escaped snakes that have made their way into people's apartments, hiding in closets, within couch cushions and even an old computer printer. Mr. Conrad, the herpetologist, said snakes prefer a warm environment.

Why then did this one gravitate toward a bathroom, a room furnished with cold tiles and ceramic appliances? "It could have been really thirsty or looking for a relatively peaceful place," Mr. Conrad said.

Residents of the apartment tower in Soundview where the snake was found weren't amused by its presence. "I live one floor below this guy," said Jose Aguirre, 53 years old. "What if it had snuck into my apartment through the pipes? I don't know if I could take it—I have a heart condition."

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